1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a dispenser for uniformly shaped and randomly oriented articles, and more particularly to a dispenser for earplugs.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Health and safety regulations require that individuals working in noisy environments be protected from that environment by wearing appropriate safety equipment. Various types of hearing protectors are currently available to workers for this purpose, such as earplugs, ear muffs and semi-aural hearing protectors. Earplugs have gained universal acceptance because of their size, comfort and attenuation characteristics.
For sanitary reasons, earplugs are typically available in individual pillow-shaped packages, poly bags and other suitable containers designed to hold a pair of plugs. However, in heavy industrial environments, the plugs often become soiled. Although some commercially available plugs may be washed, this is not always practicable. As a result, there is a need for clean plugs to be readily available to individuals in the work environment.
Known in the art is an earplug dispenser utilizing a strip package of earplugs on a carousel or bandolier reel. In this type of dispenser, the strip of plugs is channelled over and down to an outside tab which catches the strip and detaches one pair of ear plugs at a time.
Although dispensers are presently available for industrial settings, several disadvantages are associated with their use. For example, in the bandolier-type dispenser, only additional reels of the strip earplugs may be used to refill the dispenser. In addition, plugs utilizing a strip packaging will tend to pre-compress before delivery to an actual user. If pre-compressed for any length of time, the plug may not be able to recover to its natural uncompressed state. Improper sealing of the ear canal, thus decreasing of effectiveness of the earplug (i.e. lower attenuation to the user), may therefore result. Finally, excessive waste is associated with these strip packages as well as with individual packages. A need therefore exists for manufacturers to be able to supply earplugs in bulk while maintaining the integrity of the earplugs in a sanitary dispensing operation.